Day: July 14, 2021

With the majority of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition in jail facing myriad charges against individuals and associated groups, authorities’ attention has turned to the city’s civil society organizations, experts say.

When Hong Kong’s national security law went into effect last year, it acted as a catalyst for authorities to arrests dozens of high-profile activists following the anti-government protests in 2019. The law prohibits things such as secession and foreign collusion, and those convicted of breaking it can be punished with up to life imprisonment.

But the fear of the law alone is now affecting the city’s top civil society groups. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Democratic Movements of China is facing its most difficult period to date after announcing it will reduce its number of staff to minimize any security threats.

Richard Tsoi, the group’s secretary, is one of the seven who are resigning from their posts. He told VOA the decision was made to reduce the risk for future prosecution, with the alliance operating at a minimum. It will work with volunteers to do some of the work of the full-time staff members who are leaving. The risk to the volunteers would not be great, Tsoi said.

“We will definitely continue the operation of the Hong Kong Alliance, we will not surrender. But we think we should at least try to reduce the number of our leadership, our committee members. Basically now, seven out of the 14 committee members will resign. We are hoping to reduce the potential harm to us. With lesser manpower and resources but definitely will continue to see how we deal with the situation in the future,” Tsoi said.

The organization was founded two weeks before June 4, 1989, when China’s People’s Liberation Army violently cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, killing unknown numbers. The alliance today is known for assembling Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square candlelight vigil commemoration. But authorities have banned the memorial for the last two years, citing the coronavirus pandemic.

The current chairman, veteran activist Lee Cheuk Yan, is in jail. But speaking to VOA in 2020, Lee said it would be “very difficult” for the annual vigil to be legally approved again.

“It’s not [just] the Tiananmen Square vigils, it’s everything that have attraction for the masses,” he said at the time.

Like Lee, the Hong Kong Alliance’s vice-chairman, Albert Ho, also is serving a jail sentence. Both pleaded guilty to participating in an illegal assembly during Hong Kong’s 2019 protests. Tsoi was one of two people who received suspended sentences by a Hong Kong court in May. The remaining eight were given immediate jail terms, including Lee and Ho, as well as media mogul Jimmy Lai.

Lai, 73, was the founder of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily that was forced to close in June after 26 years of publication after national security authorities arrested company executives for suspected foreign collusion and froze the company’s financial access.

Chow Hang-tung, the vice-chairwoman for the Hong Kong Alliance, said she is well aware their organization, like the media, is being targeted.

“Apart from media I think they want to target civil society organizations, NGOs and all these political parties and groups. … A lot of people are saying the Civil Human Rights Front or us [Hong Kong Alliance] are the authorities’ next target,” she told VOA.

Chow spoke to VOA hours before police arrested her on June 30, following allegations she was inciting assembly ahead of the July 1 anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain back to China. She remains in custody.

Political analyst Joseph Cheng, formerly of Hong Kong but now in Australia, told VOA in a phone call that civil society groups now face more pressure than in previous years because of the national security law.

“The members, the leaders feel very threatened. There is a concern that staff members working for such groups are in danger,” Cheng said.

He added their reduction of staff numbers reflects Hong Kong’s declining freedoms under the security law.

“In a way, this is very much related to the national security law. The joint alliance (Hong Kong Alliance and the Civil Human Rights Front) insists on using one of the slogans, maintaining one of the principles to terminate one-party dictatorship, and this has been interpreted against the national security law. As a result, there is a distinct danger the members will be prosecuted,” Cheng said.

And he added that civil society groups are going to find it very difficult to operate today in Hong Kong.

“You have to be politically correct to engage in associations. And this demand for political correctness has become very strict,” Cheng added.

It comes after more than half of the 400 elected district councillors across 18 Hong Kong districts quit their posts following a recently implemented oath-taking law that targets “unpatriotic” civil servants. Pledging alliance deemed mandatory to lawmakers and government officials until the new law came into effect in May of this year.

During the height of the anti-government protests in November 2019, the District Council elections saw a landslide victory for the pro-democracy opposition. Although local councillors are usually assigned to improving community welfare, the election results were deemed to be an unofficial referendum supporting the city’s large democratic movement. Nearly 3 million people voted, which is slightly less than half of the 7.5 million population in Hong Kong.

Under the “one country, two systems” agreement signed by Britain and China in 1997, after the city was transferred back to Chinese rule, Beijing promised that Hong Kong would retain a “high degree of autonomy” until 2047.

After 2019’s anti-government protests, Beijing implemented the national security law for Hong Kong that came into effect on June 30, 2020. Among other things, it prohibits secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, and its details can be widely interpreted.

 

 

 

Source: Voice of America

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia)— Support from ASEAN’s external partners, including the United States, is welcomed in implementing the ‘Five-Point Consensus’ reached by the bloc’s leaders to resolve the crisis in Myanmar, said Malaysian Senior Minister of Foreign Affairs Hishammuddin Hussein.

 

In his statement at the ASEAN-United States Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held virtually on Wednesday, he stressed that the consensus reached in Jakarta is an important breakthrough and a means for ASEAN to engage and assist Myanmar towards a return to normalcy.

 

He said the consensus also reaffirmed the bloc’s strong support for a democratic transition, peace process, and inclusive economic development in the country.

 

“Malaysia reiterates our call for de-escalation of the situation in Myanmar as a matter of priority. We urge all parties to contribute to a conducive environment for national dialogue and reconciliation to take place,” he said in his speech text made available to the media by the Foreign Ministry.

 

The five points are: end the violence, hold constructive talks among “all parties concerned”, ASEAN provides aid to Myanmar, a special ASEAN envoy appointed to conduct talks, and for the envoy allowed to visit to the country.

 

On Rohingya issue, Hishammuddin commended the US’s role in assisting with the situation in Rakhine State, and welcomed the country’s recent pledge of US$155 million in support for the Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh, including the internally displaced Rohingya and other affected people in Myanmar.

 

At the same time, he said Malaysia is seeking the assistance of its partners such as the US to consider accepting more Rohingya refugees for third-country resettlement from Malaysia.

 

Hishammuddin also touched on South China Sea issue, saying that Malaysia remains firm in its position that matters relating to it must be resolved peacefully and constructively through dialogue and consultations, utilising the appropriate diplomatic channels, in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS 1982.

 

He stressed that continuous engagement and information sharing were fundamental to avoid any unexpected and unintended incidents in these waters, considering the inherent sensitivities.

 

“Our channels of communication remain open for the US. It must be noted, that as a claimant state, the South China Sea remains an important matter for us and safeguarding regional stability will always be our top priority.

 

“We will do our utmost to ensure these waters remain free and open, safe and commercially navigable, without any concerns of hostility,” he said.

 

Hishammuddin also touched on the situation in the Korean Peninsula, noting that the US has a vital role to play with the relevant parties to prevent North Korea from resuming its nuclear build-up, in line with the decisions taken by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

 

“Resumption of dialogue between the US and North Korea, as well between North Korea and South Korea is crucial towards building a conducive environment for negotiations to continue,” he said.

 

Confidence-building efforts must also proceed among the different parties so as to build trust, and encourage Pyongyang to remain at the negotiation table, Hishammuddin said.

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

The United States rejects China’s “unlawful” maritime claims in the South China Sea and stands with Southeast Asian nations faced with Beijing’s “coercion,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

Addressing a video conference with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN), Blinken also said the United States has “deep concerns” about the situation in Myanmar and urged the group to take action to end violence and restore democracy in the country.

The meeting with the 10-member bloc is the first since the Biden administration took office in January and comes amid concerns among diplomats and others that Washington has not been paying sufficient attention to a region that is crucial to its regional strategy to counter an increasingly powerful China.

ASEAN has been leading the main diplomatic effort on member country Myanmar since a February 1 coup plunged it into turmoil.

Myanmar’s junta has shown little sign of heeding a five-point ASEAN consensus, reached in April, which calls for an end to violence, political talks and the naming of a regional special envoy.

Blinken urged ASEAN to take “immediate action” on the consensus and appoint a special envoy to Myanmar, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

Blinken asked for the release of all those “unjustly detained” in the country, and the restoration of Myanmar’s democratic transition, Price said.

Blinken also emphasized the U.S. rejection of China’s “unlawful maritime claims” in the South China Sea at the meeting and said Washington “stands with Southeast Asian claimants in the face of (Chinese) coercion,” Price said.

China claims vast swathes of the disputed South China Sea via its unilaterally declared, U-shaped, “nine-dash line” which intersects with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines, all ASEAN members.

Trillions of dollars in annual trade flows through the disputed waterway.

In addition to the South China Sea, the Mekong River has become a new front in U.S.-China rivalry, with Beijing overtaking Washington in both spending and influence over downstream countries at the mercy of its control of the river’s waters.

Price said Blinken “pledged continued U.S. support for a free and open Mekong region under the Mekong-U.S. Partnership.”

Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said he hoped Wednesday’s meeting signalled a “refreshed commitment” to U.S. multilateral cooperation in the region.

“We understand that multilateralism was not a key focus for the previous administration, but the Biden administration’s embrace of multilateral cooperation is a welcome development,” Hishammuddin said, according to a copy of his delivered remarks.

“This path is the only way forward to ensure stability, peace, prosperity and security for our region.”

 

 

 

Source: Voice of America

Chen Yun, a Chinese student at the University of Melbourne, has always been curious about different political systems. After she arrived in Australia, she started posting on social media about the push for democratic reforms in China.

 

Then came the harassment. She started receiving emails warning that she should be “careful” because if she returns to China, someone would “give her a lesson.”

 

“I thought I could talk about whatever I want after coming here. I thought I could show my support for democracy but I didn’t expect I actually don’t have that freedom,” she told VOA Mandarin, asking to use a pseudonym due to fear of retaliation by the Chinese government.

 

Chen’s experience is not unique. Following the deterioration of relations between Canberra and Beijing over the past two years, there has been growing concern in Australia about China’s influence on higher education, and whether it has undermined academic freedom on campus.

 

The concern was echoed in a recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The report, titled “They Don’t Understand the Fear We Have,” pointed out that pro-democracy Chinese students and scholars enrolled in Australian universities have experienced harassment and intimidation if they speak out in classes and on campus.

 

“Pro-democracy students from mainland China and Hong Kong experience direct harassment and intimidation from Chinese classmates—including threats of physical violence, being reported on to Chinese authorities back home, being doxed online, or threatened with doxing,” the report said, adding these threats can occur both in person and online. Doxing, also known as doxxing, is publicly identifying or publishing private information about a person to punish them or for revenge.

 

According to the report, the Chinese embassy and its consulates in Australia encourage students to report on activities by their classmates that might pose a threat to China’s national security. The Chinese embassy in Canberra did not respond to VOA Mandarin’s request for comment on the HRW report.

 

For Wu Lebao, 38, the monitoring has led to stress, anxiety, and real impact on his daily life.

 

Wu is a mathematics student at the Australian National University. He started to participate in pro-democracy movements in China before arriving in Australia and has been harassed by the secret police when he’s in Beijing.

 

“Yet the nightmare continues here,” Wu told VOA Mandarin by phone.

 

“At first it’s just verbal attacks online, but since last year, I’ve been receiving messages from someone, who claimed that he/she knows which dorm I’m in,” Wu said. “I would receive text messages at midnight, saying someone would ‘come and get me.’ Honestly, I think this person lives in the same building as me, whenever I speak out on our online group, he/she soon responds with some kind of harassment.”

 

“Now I couldn’t really sleep at night,” he said.

 

Many Chinese students who want to keep a low profile said they find themselves self-censoring to avoid being reported by their classmates to Chinese authorities. Many of the students who spoke with VOA Mandarin said they had heard rumors, but had no evidence, that students received payment for reporting other Chinese students or teachers.

 

Yang Xin, who is in the fourth year of his studies, told VOA Mandarin via phone that he needs to be careful about what he says in class to make sure it cannot be interpreted as “not patriotic enough.” He asked to use a pseudonym to avoid government retaliation.

 

“There was this discussion on Taiwanese culture. I personally find Taiwanese culture unique and fascinating but I didn’t say that in the classroom,” he said. “Why? Because I know that will be framed as pro-Taiwan independence. Then I might be questioned when I go back to China and even my relatives might be impacted.”

 

For Yang, the worst part is not knowing who’s watching him. “It creates a lot of anxiety and fear, because anyone around you could be the one that’s reporting you to the authorities,” he said.

 

According to Australia’s Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE), as of April 2021, there are over 150,000 students from mainland China studying at Australia’s universities, where they represent close to 30% of all international students.

 

“University officials are acutely aware of the financial impact full fee-paying international students have on their institutions and how reliant they have become on their fees, which accounted for 27 percent of total operating revenue for the Australian university sector by 2019,” according to HRW. U.S. colleges and universities have been similarly dependent on Chinese students, according to World Education News * Reviews.

 

More than half, or 62% of Chinese students returned home during the COVID-19 pandemic and switched to online learning. This posed new challenges to faculties at universities, according to HRW, as “Course material designed for Australian campuses was now being accessed by students behind the ‘Great Firewall’ of China, which posed new and difficult security risks for students and academics alike. Despite this, many academics said their university had not offered any official guidance on teaching Chinese students remotely and the security considerations.”

 

American sociologist Salvatore Babones is an associate professor at the University of Sydney where he focuses on China’s global economic integration. He said restrictions hinder his students in China.

 

If he assigns work that requires using sources from major media like the BBC or the New York Times, “it’s illegal for the students in China to access those media. So it makes it very difficult for them to do their work. I can’t require them to use credible sources when the credible sources are blocked,” he told VOA by phone.

 

Babones added that in order to protect students in China, he had allowed them to use sources readily available to them even though the material sometimes doesn’t meet the academic requirements of his class.

 

It’s a predicament well understood by Kuo Mei-fen, a lecturer at the Department of Media and Communications at the Macquarie University in Sydney who switched to online teaching last year.

 

“There are a few students who are taking online courses in China. Some of them don’t talk at all in class, while others are speaking in line with the Chinese official tones,” she told VOA Mandarin via phone. “I think there’s a consensus among us teachers not to put too much pressure on Chinese students during these online classes, because that might put them in danger.”

 

Source: Voice of America

The Police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of 82-year-old Mr Boo Soo Hia who was last seen at the vicinity of Blk 160 Mei Ling Street on 13 July 2021 at about 11am.

Anyone with information is requested to call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

 

Source: Singapore Police Force